The present invention relates to treadmills, and in particular to foldable treadmills.
Treadmills are popular exercise machines that enable a user to engage in a running or walking movement while maintaining a relatively stationary position. A conventional treadmill includes two major sections: a base and a handrail. The base includes a frame having rollers mounted on opposing ends thereof. A continuous belt extends around and between the two rollers so as to be fashioned into a flat, continuous loop. In one design, an electrical motor is connected to the front roller. When the motor is turned on, the roller spins which imparts rotational movement to the belt. In an alternative design, no motor is provided. The continuous belt is rotated by the user standing on the belt and walking or running thereon. Friction between. the user and the belt cause the belt to rotate in a continuous loop around the rollers.
The handrail acts as a support or stabilizer for the user. Conventional handrails project from the frame toward and across the front of the treadmill. Some alternative treadmills include moveable arms attached to the handrail. The movable arms enable the user to exercise their arms while running or walking on the treadmill.
A control console can also be mounted on the handrail. The control console is used control the operation of the treadmill and to display related information such as elapsed time, speed, pulse, or calories burned. Controls for treadmill speed, inclination, or exercise program may also be part of the control console.
To use the treadmill, a user steps onto the continuous belt facing the front of the treadmill. The electric motor is then turned on causing the top surface of the belt to rotate from the front of the base to the rear of the base. To maintain a stationary position on the treadmill, the user must then walk or run at a speed corresponding to the speed of the belt. If desired, the user can grasp the handrail for support. When the user is done exercising, he or she simply turns the treadmill off and steps off the continuous belt.
Early treadmills tended to be bulky due to large motors and oversized parts. Such treadmills were difficult to move around and took up relatively large amounts of space. Accordingly, these early treadmills were almost exclusively found in spas and gyms having large amounts of floor space. As engineering improved, the size and weight of treadmills decreased. Nevertheless, the size of treadmills was limited by the length and width of the base which had to be large enough for a user to safely walk or run thereon. Due to this minimum size limitation, treadmills were significantly precluded from home or apartment use which did not have available space to house a treadmill.
In an attempt to remedy this problem, foldable treadmills were developed. Foldable treadmills include a base having rollers and a continuous belt as previously described. The front of the base, however, is hingedly attached to a stationary stand. Upstanding from the stationary stand is a handrail. The base can be selectively moved between an operational and storage position. In the operation position, the base is positioned for use by a user and is substantially parallel with the support surface. Many treadmills do, however, have the ability to change the position of the base relative to the support surface to simulate walking uphill. To use the treadmill, the user stands on the base facing the stationary stand and walks or runs thereon as discussed above. When use is completed, the base can be selectively moved to a storage position by lifting up the rear end of the base. The base is lifted to the storage position where it is in a substantially upright position with the front end of the base still rotatably connected to the stationary stand. By folding up the base, the treadmill takes up substantially less floor space making the treadmill more accessible for use in homes and apartments.
While foldable treadmills take up less space, they still have other drawbacks. For example, to minimize obstruction by the treadmill, it is desirable for the treadmill to be folded up against a wall, when not in use. The stationary stand must be positioned proximate to the wall to enable the base to fold out. With the treadmill positioned so that the stationary stand is closest to the wall a user is forced to face the wall during use of the treadmill. The user, however, typically prefers to look into the room, such as toward a television or other people, during use.
To enable a user to face into a room during use of a conventional foldable treadmill, the user must first rotate the stationary stand away from the wall, and then move the treadmill sufficiently far away from the wall so that the base does not hit the wall when the base is lowered into the operational position. When use is completed, the user must fold up the treadmill and move it back to the wall for storage. This required moving of the treadmill for each use is time consuming, annoying, and awkward. Further, treadmills are typically heavy and fairly large, making them physically difficult to move. Even those treadmills that are xe2x80x9cportablexe2x80x9d require a great deal of effort to move and reposition so that the user can face away from the wall. As a result, the frequency of use of the treadmill is decreased, thereby partially defeating the purpose of the treadmill.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide improved foldable treadmills that can be folded up for storage against a wall.
Another object of the present invention is to provide foldable treadmills which can be unfolded from storage against a wall for use without contacting the wall and without additional movement of the treadmill.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide treadmills as above wherein the user is facing into the room and away from the wall during use of the treadmill when the treadmill, without further movement, is unfolded from storage against a wall.
Finally, another object of the present invention is to provide treadmills as above in which the deck and correspondingly the handrail move between the operational position and the storage position entirely within the footprint of the treadmill.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by the practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instruments and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims, or may be learned by the practice of the invention as set forth hereinafter.
To achieve the foregoing objects, and in accordance with the invention as embodied and broadly described herein, a foldable or fold-out treadmill is provided. The treadmill comprises a handrail and a support structure that includes a deck and a stationary base. The base has a rear end and an opposing front end. The deck has a front end, a rear end, and a continuous belt rotatably mounted thereon. The rear end of the deck is moveably attached to the base so as to enable the deck to be selectively rotated between an operational position in which the deck is positioned for operation by a user positioned thereon and a storage position in which the deck is positioned proximate to the handrail.
The treadmill also includes a collapsible handrail attached to the support structure. The handrail has a rear end attached to the deck and an opposing front end projecting above the front end of the deck when the deck is in the operational position. The handrail is further configured such that when the deck is moved between the operational position and the storage position the handrail does not extend beyond the rear end of the base.
The treadmill also includes a fold-out assembly that movably connects the rear end of the handrail to the support structure so as to enable the front end of the handrail to project above the front end of the deck when the deck is in the operational position and to collapse into a compact storage configuration when the deck is rotated into the storage position. The fold-out assembly is configured such that the handrail is repositioned by a combination of pivotal movement and linear translation relative to the deck as the deck is selectively rotated from the storage position into the operational position. In one embodiment, the fold-out assembly comprises a leg and a slider assembly. The leg has a proximal end rotatably attached to the rear end of the handrail and a distal end rotatably connected to the base. The proximal end of the leg and the rear end of the handrail are movably attached to the deck to allow the handrail to automatically collapse into a compact storage configuration when the deck is rotated from the operational position into the storage position by a combination of rotational movement and linear translation relative to the deck.
The slider assembly is connected to the rear end of the handrail and is configured to allow the linear translation of the handrail relative to the deck when the deck is selectively rotated between the storage position and the operational position. In one embodiment, the slider assembly comprises slider rods and a slider. The slider rods are attached to the deck. The slider is connected to the rear end of the handrail and is configured to cooperate with the slider rods to allow the handrail to translate linearly relative to the deck so as to make the handrail automatically collapse into a compact configuration when the deck is rotated into the storage position.